


The Love Story of the Tortoise and the Hare

by exbex



Series: Thaw Me Out [6]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Feelings, Hospitals, Injury, M/M, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-15 19:03:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7234786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exbex/pseuds/exbex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Later Kent lays awake, thinking about the nature of relationships. Were they destined to be a carousel of sorts, ups and downs of fighting and being so crazy about each other that you’re terrified of the possibility of losing the other person?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Check Please! belongs to Ngozi Ukazu

Kent hasn’t lost a space of time like this since his binge drinking days. He looks around the waiting room and decides that, in spite of the lack of hangover, this is infinitely worse.

He must have done some growing up in the last few years, because the last time he sat in a hospital waiting for news, he had wanted to run, feeling as if the walls were closing in on him, threatening to trap and consume him. The feeling looms once again, but Kent looks down at his clenched fists and realizes that now he would try to tear them down instead.

Now, as then, Kent feels guilt, the familiar feeling shaken awake just hours ago, when he’d turned around, mid-celly, and felt his elation turn to ice-cold fear upon seeing that Alexei had been checked into the boards and wasn’t getting up.

He hears Anna shift in the chair next to his and he startles, having somehow forgotten that she was there. The guilt is fresh when he takes in the way her hands are clenched together in her lap. Anna Mashkova is the picture of poise: self-assured, 5’11”, has eyes that are disarming in their perceptiveness, and is in her third year studying engineering at Brown University, and so it’s easy to forget that she’s only 22. Kent tries to think of something reassuring to say. At a loss, he reaches for her hand instead. Kent wonders if the squeeze she gives is supposed to reassure him instead, but she takes a tight hold of his hand and there’s a trembling there that makes Kent place his other hand over her’s.

Kent prays that he’s not imagining the calm, assured look on the doctor’s face. When he informs them that they were able to stop the bleeding and save the spleen, that he’s expecting a full recovery, Kent feels as if his insides have turned to water, and it occurs to him how exhausted he is.

He’s definitely wide awake when he finally sees Alexei. Lying unconscious in the hospital bed, Alexei looks vulnerable rather than frail, but it still feels like a punch to the gut.

Maybe Kent really has done some growing up these last few years, because instead of wanting to bolt, he wants to wrap himself around Alexei and hold on.

**

“What is on your mind?” 

Kent is startled out of his thoughts by Alexei’s hand on his arm. He looks into concerned eyes, formulates exactly what he wants to say, and promptly blurts out an abbreviated version that is far less smooth, far less sensible, and is therefore patented Kent Parson:

“Do you want to get married this summer?” 

On the tv, the Sharks are beating the Ducks, but Kent barely registers it because Alexei’s hand is moving to cradle the back of Kent’s neck. He kisses Kent, softly but firmly, and then rests his forehead against Kent’s. “I love you,” he says, “but you must ask me when I finish recovery, after I’m back on ice. Maybe even later than then. Maybe a year.” He pulls away and takes Kent’s hand, lacing their fingers together. Kent opens his mouth to protest, but Alexei gives him one of his patented ‘destroy Kent Parson’ smiles, so Kent is left sitting and not noticing the score or anything else that happens for the rest of the game.

Kent doesn’t say anything else until they’re in bed later, right before the lights are out. He looks over Alexei closely, looking for any signs that he’s in pain, assures himself that he’s recovering well, and brings it up right after sliding into bed, before the lights go out. “Alexei, it’s been two and a half years. We’re good together. What are we waiting for?”

Alexei frowns, his brow furrowing. “You’re spooked because I got hurt.”

“So I want ready access to any hospital room you might land yourself in in the future. So what?” Kent can feel himself becoming agitated. He tries to breathe through it. 

“We never talk about this before,” Alexei sighs, and Kent feels his irritation winning out. Why is Alexei talking to him as if he suggested that they both retire and start flipping houses or move to Miami and open a bar instead of getting married? They’ve moved in together, they spend all of their time together, they practically finish each other’s sentences. From where Kent is sitting, they’re on the express train to married life. “We’re talking about it now. Or rather, I’m trying to talk about it and you’re trying to avoid it. 

Look, if you’re not ready, just tell me you’re not ready.”

“We’re not ready Kent.” There’s no judgment or pity in Alexei’s eyes, just frankness. Still, it hurts, more than Kent would have thought possible. And he’s angry, that Alexei would dismiss the idea. He scowls. “I am ready, Alexei. And when you decide to pull your head out of your ass, maybe you’ll be ready too.” 

Kent slips out of bed and stalks off to the spare bedroom. It’s childish, probably, and definitely not the way to present an argument, but he can feel the lump in his throat starting and he doesn’t understand, really, what just went down, and he hates how stupid it all makes him feel.

**

Kent decides to pick Anna’s brain over the matter. She’s close enough to offer insight, is straightforward by nature, but is also shrewd yet kind enough that she won’t make Kent feel like more of an ass than he already does. 

Anna peers at him over the rim of her cup before setting it in its saucer, having just listened to his exasperated explanation. She drums her fingers on the table four times before responding. “Kent, what do you know about Alexei and marriage?”

Kent thinks it’s a strange question. He blinks, thinking of everything he knows about Alexei Mashkov. It’s a lot of information. He knows about his past, what he likes, what he hates, the way he plays hockey, the way he drives, the way he narrows his eyes when he’s trying to figure something out, even what his different smiles and tones of voice mean. “I don’t understand,” he finally says.

“Have you talked to him about what he thinks about marriage, having children?” she explains.

Kent frowns. “We live together. Getting married would only make things official. He’s great with kids,” Kent adds. And it’s true, small animals, small children, large animals, large children (hockey players), people in general: Alexei Mashkov can charm just about anything, and he seems to thrive off of being around them.

Anna raises an eyebrow. “How many children does he want to have?”

Kent is stunned into silence. For all he knows, Alexei wants one, or enough for a hockey team, or maybe none at all. Kent has never really thought seriously about kids himself; he’s not sure he has what it takes to be a father, but if Alexei wants them, well, he deserves them…

“Oh,” Kent says when it finally occurs to him. 

“You have to slow down Kenny,” Anna breaks into this thoughts. She’s smiling this time. “It’s not a hockey game.”

“If it were I would know what to do,” Kent admits.

“You’ll be fine,” Anna assures him before taking a sip from her cup, smile still playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Somebody sounds awfully certain. But I guess I thought I knew everything when I was 22.” Kent can’t help chirping her; she reminds him of his own sister. He misses her, and it occurs to him that Sarah and Anna would get along very well, probably frighteningly well.

“I only know that you are not a stupid man, and that you would not risk breaking my brother’s heart.” There’s teasing in her eyes, but there’s a steel there as well. There’s no question that she and Alexei are blood.

“I love him,” Kent says quietly. “More than I’ve ever loved anybody.”

Anna’s smile is soft. She reaches for his hand and gives it a squeeze. “That will be a good opening to your next conversation. Right after the apology.”

“You know you chirp just like him?”

“You’re going to have to get used to it, Brother.”

**

It’s been almost twenty-four hours since their fight, which is also the longest that they’ve ever gone without talking. Alexei’s eyes are guarded, following Kent as he walks into their apartment. 

“I’m sorry,” Kent says, “about what I said last night. I didn’t mean it, I was just angry.”

The guarded looks softens a bit. “I didn’t explain myself well,” Alexei responds tiredly.

“I wasn’t exactly listening either.” Kent takes a breath, exhales slowly. “I talked to Anna today. She, uh, helped me figure things out. Basically that I’m trying to go too fast.”

Alexei smiles slightly. “Good. Anya has all the brains in family.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. You were trying to tell me the same thing and I wasn’t listening.”

Alexei draws closer, placing his hands on Kent’s hips. “I am used to people not always listening; everyone in hurry, making assumptions. I am not used to that from you, котенок.”

“I know Babe, I’m sorry.”

Alexei places a kiss on Kent’s forehead, which always slightly embarrasses Kent, but he likes it. He only ever does it when they’re alone anyway. “I will be careful, when cleared to play again soon. Not make you worry.”

Kent sighs and puts his arms around Alexei. “I’ll try not to hover.” He buries his face in Alexei’s front and mentally slams the door on each vision of Alexei hurt that his traitorous brain wants to fabricate, instead picturing Alexei with grey at his temples and laugh lines and crow’s feet. Those thoughts come more slowly, but they’re clearer and sharper, and   
Kent holds on to them, locking them away for safe-keeping.

Later Kent lays awake, thinking about the nature of relationships. Were they destined to be a carousel of sorts, ups and downs of fighting and being so crazy about each other that you’re terrified of the possibility of losing the other person? He looks over at Alexei, who always seems so vulnerable in sleep.

Kent breathes slowly, in and out, and decides that an uncertain future with Alexei is better than any kind of future without him.

**

Months later Alexei surprises him with breakfast in bed, complete with a small vase of flowers. Kent recognizes the orange blooms as tiger lilies. Sure enough, Alexei is greeting him in kind: “Good morning, тигренок. Rise and shine, as they say.”

The glint of something metal catches Kent’s eye, and he takes a closer look to find that the stems of the flowers are bound with a ring that is definitely in Kent’s size. “You fucker,”   
Kent says as he simultaneously breaks into a grin. He looks up to see Alexei’s pleased, bordering on smug, expression. 

“Say yes, Kenny.”

“Well, I want to, but I was planning on proposing to you, and you went and jumped the gun on me.”

Alexei waves a hand, as if this is an immaterial detail. “You propose later, when you have good idea. We will be officially engaged then.”

“That doesn’t sound like a traditional Russian engagement. Or a typical American one.” Kent is tugging the ring off of the flowers, very carefully. He wants to put it in a safe place, and, even as he’s chirping Alexei, he’s thinking of his own proposal.

“We make our own traditions Kenny, you and me. We are unlikely couple anyway. Is part of our charm, no?”

Breakfast is all but forgotten then. 

**

Kent asks right after making the playoffs, in a locker room with all of their teammates; partly to get back at Alexei, but also because Kent is the kind of guy who creates Instagram accounts for his cats and he is therefore comfortable with his completely sappy side. He does make sure that the locker room is free of journalists and cameras, because he’s not a complete drama queen, but he gets down on one knee and everything, and takes out both the ring that he’s bought for Alexei and the one that Alexei had given to him. They slide the rings on each other’s fingers and kiss and listen to their teammates whoop around them.

“Good enough?” Kent murmurs once they’ve pulled away long enough to catch their breath.

“More than good enough,” Alexei whispers.


	2. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This epilogue is just a bit of their wedding, because I am a certified sap, along with being Patater Trash. I also apparently had to throw in a wee bit of fandom meta.

They had been level-headed enough to schedule the ceremony in an air-conditioned building, but Kent still feels as if he’s about to sweat right through his suit. He looks at Alexei, looking like an Adonis in his own suit, and wonders if he’ll ever recover his ability to form words.

“Kenny, you not having second thoughts I hope.”

Kent half-heartedly bats Alexei’s hands away from his tie. “I’m regretting agreeing with you when you suggested adding our own words to the vows. I’m totally going to fuck this up.”

Alexei frowns. “Why you say that? I am nervous also, but it will be okay.”

“Of course you’ll be okay. Everyone loves you and you don’t even have to say hardly anything. I always manage to find a way to say something terrible because I don’t know how to say what I’m feeling and everyone’s all, wow, there’s Parson again.” Kent is aware that he’s babbling and probably making zero sense, but there’s an entire roomful of people who are waiting to hear him say something beautiful about Alexei, and he’s afraid that he’s made his addition to their vows all about himself. But what is he supposed to do? It’s obvious to himself, along with probably the entire universe, save his soon-to-be husband, that he doesn’t deserve Alexei.

“Radost’ moya,” Alexei has his hands on Kent’s shoulders. Kent peers up to look into his eyes. “You will be fine. Everyone out there? Happy for us.”

**

Kent somehow manages to relax the moment he’s facing Alexei. He suddenly recalls how nervous Jack and Eric had been, but both of them saying later that all that nervousness disappeared the moment they were looking at each other, as if nothing else was happening around them. Kent had kind of dismissed it then as romantic nonsense, but he gets it now.

“Kent, you find what no one else looks for, and you hear everything I don’t say.” It’s exactly what Kent needs to hear, of course, and he keeps his eyes locked onto Alexei, his own few words coming easily then. “Alexei, before you, I didn’t think anyone could love me, and I didn’t think I deserved it.” 

And then they’re being pronounced husbands, and Alexei is kissing him, and the future still looks like a road that’s enshrouded in fog, but Alexei is beside him and everything is about a thousand times less terrifying for it.


End file.
